Coffee Roaster Acoustic Sensing for Precise Bean Offloading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for determining the roasting stages of coffee beans are subjective and labor-intensive, relying on human experience and auditory cues, leading to inconsistencies in roasting quality and requiring roasters to constantly monitor the roasting process.
Innovation Solution
An assisting apparatus equipped with a microphone and processor that senses sound within the roasting chamber, generates a control signal by analyzing audio energy values, and provides real-time feedback to roasters, enabling precise determination of roasting stages without human intervention and allowing for automatic bean offloading.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If human roasters determine roasting stages by listening to sound generated during roasting, then roasting experience and skill can be utilized, but the method causes uncertainty due to different roaster experiences and requires constant monitoring which is labor-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of human auditory detection with an electronic sound sensing system. A microphone captures sound waves generated during roasting, and a processor analyzes the sound energy to automatically determine roasting stages, replacing the need for human roasters to listen and monitor continuously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by automatically detecting and determining roasting stages without requiring human intervention. The sound sensing apparatus independently monitors the roasting process, analyzes acoustic signals, and provides feedback, allowing the system to serve itself in determining when to stop roasting.
2Reliability
If roasters constantly monitor the roasting process to determine offloading time, then roasting quality can be maintained, but this requires waiting beside the roasting device for a long time which is labor consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring sound energy during roasting and providing real-time information about the roasting stage. The processor analyzes the acoustic signals and provides feedback to indicate when specific roasting milestones are reached, such as when the first or second crack occurs, enabling timely offloading without constant human monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The sound sensing apparatus acts as an intermediary between the roasting process and the roaster. Instead of the roaster directly monitoring the beans, the microphone and processor serve as intermediaries that capture, analyze, and interpret the sound signals, translating physical acoustic phenomena into actionable roasting stage information.
3Productivity
If automatic bean offloading is implemented based on sound analysis, then labor requirements are reduced and productivity increases, but precise determination of roasting stages must be achieved without human intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-establishing sound energy thresholds and criteria for different roasting stages before the actual roasting begins. The processor is programmed with predetermined energy levels that correspond to specific roasting milestones, allowing it to automatically compare real-time sound energy against these pre-set criteria and trigger offloading at the appropriate moment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes parameter changes by monitoring the transformation of sound energy parameters during roasting. As the beans undergo different roasting stages, the acoustic energy characteristics change in predictable ways. The processor detects these parameter changes in sound energy to identify transitions between roasting stages and determine the optimal offloading time.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows for precise and consistent roasting stage determination, reducing labor and variability, enabling roasters to focus on other tasks while ensuring high-quality roasting without missing critical bean offloading times.
Implementation Method 1
a microphone and a processor. The microphone is configured to sense sound in a chamber of a bean roasting device to generate an audio signal
Data Source
AI summary
An assisting apparatus for bean roasting and a bean roasting apparatus are provided. The present invention senses sound in a chamber of a bean roasting device through a microphone to generate an audio signal, and control the bean roasting procedure by determining that the energy value of the audio signal crosses a threshold at a time point based on the observation time window.